Named scholarships

When it comes to earning a college degree, the greatest obstacle can be funding.

For this reason, The University of Akron is pleased for the opportunity each year to assist talented, deserving students achieve their dreams, thanks to more than 1,300 named scholarships established through the kindness and generosity of thousands of UA alumni and friends, corporations, and foundations.

Scholarships truly are the best way to ensure that today’s students persist to graduation. Scholarships allow students to enroll full time and remain focused on their studies; they also reduce drop-out rates, decrease the stress of student loans, and shorten the road to graduation.

The need for scholarships grows each year, however, as students continue to face an increased financial burden in pursuit of a college degree. In fact, 94 percent of today’s baccalaureate students borrow to pay for college – versus just 45 percent in 1993. Across the country, the average college-related debt for borrowers in the class of 2016 was $37,172; for Ohio students, that figure was $30,239.

If you are interested in making a significant contribution to student success, please consider a gift to the MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND MOVING FORWARD scholarship campaign, which is the University's most important initiative. You may also establish a named scholarship at The University of Akron, which can be created to honor a living person, in memory of a loved one, or to contribute to the growth of an area of study.

To learn more, please contact the Department of Development at 330-972-7238.

How do I apply for a scholarship?

This is not the page to apply for scholarships.

Students who want to apply for scholarships should visit the scholarship page on the Financial Aid site.

The Department of Development does not accept applications for or distribute scholarships. Scholarships are distributed through the University’s Office of Student Financial Aid.

Search for a Named Scholarship

D’Ianni, Dr. and Mrs. James D. Research Endowment

The Dr. and Mrs. James D. D’Ianni Research Endowment was established by Dr. James D. D’Ianni as a way of showing his support for the work of the 15th President of The University of Akron, Dr. Luis M. Proenza, in stepping up University-driven research efforts and in recognition of The University of Akron’s strategic commitment to advancing research in ways that improve the region’s economy.

Dr. James D. D’Ianni’s gift, the largest gift ever received by The University of Akron directed to research, is one that lays the foundation for the University’s research efforts. The extraordinariness of his gift is such that it will shape the moments of greatness for University of Akron faculty and student researchers now and in perpetuity. The purpose of The Dr. and Mrs. James D. D’Ianni Research Endowment is to support scientific and technological research efforts at The University of Akron, as identified by the President of The University of Akron or the president’s designee.

Dr. D’Ianni is the retired assistant to the vice president of research, after having held the positions of director of research, and director of elastomer and chemical research at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where he worked for 41 years. At the height of World War II, Dr. D’Ianni, along with other chemists from the rubber industry, was part of a successful wartime effort to develop durable synthetic rubber. His outstanding contributions to chemistry earned him more than 17 patents and the listing as a top-100 contributor to rubber literature by Great Britain’s Rubber Journal.

Dr. James D. D’Ianni is an alumnus of The University of Akron. He graduated in 1934 with a B.S. in chemistry from the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1938, Dr. D’Ianni obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In 1976 and 1979 respectively, The University of Akron recognized Dr. D’Ianni’s many accomplishments and presented him with an Alumni Honor Award and an Honorary Doctor of Science.

During and after his career, Dr. D’Ianni taught evening courses for The University of Akron’s Department of Chemistry, was a member of The University of Akron’s graduate school advisory committee, and participated on many local and national organizations, including serving as president of the American Chemical Society and the advisory board of the National Academy of Sciences.